Abdul Rahim Khan
| death_date = | placeofburial = | birth_place =British Indian Empire | death_place =Potomac, Maryland, United States | nickname =A.R. Khan, Shantay Khan | birth_name =Abdur Rahim Khan | allegiance = | branch = | serviceyears =1944-1972 | rank = Air Marshal | unit =No. 7 Squadron Bandits | commands =Commander in Chief AOC Mauripur Air Force Base Comdnt. PAF Staff College Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Operations) | battles =Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 1965 Indo-Pak Aerial War Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 Operation Chengiz Khan East-Pakistan Air Strike Operations | awards =Sitara-e-Basalat Sitara-e-Pakistan Hilal-e-Quaid-i-Azam Hilal-e-Jurat }} Air Marshal Abdur Rahim Khan, HJ, HQA, SPk, SBt (25 October 1925 – 28 February 1990) was a 3-star general and air officer who served as the last Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Air Force between 1969 and 1972. He later was later sacked by the JAG Branch, and given a discharged from the Air Force as former Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) of Pakistan Air Force, along with the Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) of Pakistan Army Lieutenant-General Gul Hassan Khan and Commander-in-Chief of Pakistan Navy, Vice-Admiral Muzaffar Hassan on March 3, 1972. His successor, Air Marshal Zafar Chaudhry, was the first Chief of Air Staff of Pakistan Air Force. Air Force career Abdur Rahim Khan was commissioned in the British Indian Air Force on 5 June 1944. During his post independence service in the PAF, he was the first commander of its only jet squadron, No. 11 Squadron, and No. 9 Squadron. He became a member of MACH Buster's Club by breaking the sound barrier in United States of America, he was the first Asian to have achieved this honor. In later years he commanded Mauripur base as well as the PAF Staff College and held appointments Director of Plans and Director of Operations as well as ACAS (Operations) and later, ACAS (Administration) at the Air Headquarters. In between, he also qualified courses at the RAF Staff College, Andover and the Imperial Defence College in London. Relations with China During his tenure he visited China due to the military co-operation between the two nations.Open Society Archives : AIR MARSHAL'S VISIT TO PEKING REFLECTS LIVELY MILITARY CONTACTS BETWEEN CHINA AND PAKISTAN He was awarded the Hilal-i-Jurat for his command in 1971 Indo-Pakistani war. Personal life Rahim Khan was married to Princess Mehrunissa Khan,Mehrunissa Khan. An extraordinary life: Princess Mehrunissa of Rampur, (Blue Leaf, 2006) the only child of the beloved but unofficial third queen of the Nawab of Rampur. They got married in London when Rahim Khan was a group captain.Vatsala Kaul. "The princess diaries : Mehrunissa of Rampur" Harmony Magazine, October 2004 Envoy of Pakistan to Spain Air Marshal Abdur Rahim Khan was send as an Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to Spain on May 11, 1972. Lieutenant General Gul Hassan Khan as well was sent as Ambassador to Austria. Air Marshal Abdur Rahim Khan served as Ambassador until April 13, 1977, when he again resigned in protest against the rigging of elections in Pakistan by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto the Prime Minister of Pakistan and his party the Pakistan People's Party. Hence after Air Marshal Abdur Rahim Khan decided to settle down in United States of America. He lived in Potomac, Maryland until he died of renal failure on February 28, 1990. References External links *Bio of Air Marshal A Rahim Khan Category:Chiefs of Air Staff, Pakistan Category:Pakistan Air Force air marshals Category:Pakistan Air Force officers Category:Pakistani aviators Category:1925 births Category:1990 deaths Category:Recipients of Hilal-i-Jur'at Category:Ambassadors of Pakistan to Spain